Breathing life into the Shell
by Meredith Paulson
Summary: Meredith C. Paulson, a woman living day to day as a shell, a body with no enjoyment, borderline crazy finds that the Pizzeria she occupied eight years of her life at, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is taking a security guard, Miss. Paulson takes the job, as a way to break enkindle the soulless cocaine she finds herself in and emerge as the joyful butterfly she was during her youth.
1. The new job

Running feet down the hall, coming closer Oh so close.. No time, tried to spin around and reach for the door button not making it.

The pirate grabs onto my arm, pulling me out of the office, exchanging his grip on my arm to a grip on my collar, slamming my back against the wall.

A gasp was heard, it sounded distant but I knew it was mine, I could feel the cold metal of the pirate Fox's hook going down my neck, slowly.. hungrily almost devilishly lustful, before it reached my abdomen and cut.

I screamed, another distant sound like I was hearing it from a mile away, while inside of a shack.. It was physically painful but a light of clarity hit me.

I was going to die, death already gripped it's inescapable hands around me.. I would see my Father again, my friends, my lover.. and I would see the woman who I had no memory of, but owed everything to.. my Mother.. I wondered if she cared about me, my birth had been the reason she died, I murdered her.

But I would find that out soon.. for now words escaped my lips "Thank you.. Foxy." once those words were said I saw a bright flash before everything started to go dark.

"AH!" I screamed, bolting upwards in my bed, I panted heavily before slouching over and holding my face in my hands It was just a dream.. A dream. I thought to myself, I wanted to hold on to the dream, as terrible as it was, but already I felt the memory of the dream disappearing, going, going.. gone.

I moved my hands away from my face and looked around my small bedroom, it was crappy.. my whole apartment was crappy to tell the truth, but it was home.

All emotion had drained from my eyes, from my body as I looked around "Major Depression" the doctors called it, it was probably true my life as of last year had many unfortunate events, deaths.. Father first.. forcing me to leave his house and then my friends.. all of them had decided to go to the movies while I was moving, I really wanted to get my stuff moved in so I declined going with them.. and I was still mourning dad.

A truck ran into the car they were driving in.. and all of them lost their lives that day.

So I went to six different funerals, not able to be there for the entirety of any.. and I came back home, numb of any emotion except for sorrow.

Mourning the deaths didn't help anything, I never stopped being sad, and soon one day I woke up numb of ANY emotion.. my flash of surprise had been an oddity.

A beautiful oddity.

I got up off of my bed, and walked out of my bedroom into the living room area, the walls were a pale yellow, the one couch was small and torn on places, it faced a little T.V.

I walked over to my bathroom, opening the door, leaving it open as I entered.. I didn't have to use the toilet or anything, I just wanted to see my face and reflect, as was the custom.

A pale woman stared back at me, I was young.. just recently old enough to drink, my dark hair fell down to my upper back.. I reached over to my toilet where a hairband lay, I made my hair into a ponytail, all the while staring at myself.

Then I began to speak to the mirror.

"Hey Meredith.. you look great today." I said, moving closer to the mirror, it wouldn't have been crazy if I hadn't answered myself.

"You look just as great Meredith! I love what you did to your hair!"

"I do the same thing to my hair everyday."

"Oh I'm so stupid, Please stab me."

"With pleasure Meredith."

"Ow it hurts, it hurts so good!"

"HAHAHAHAH" I roared with laughter hysterically "DIE! DIE BITCH!" I screamed making a stabbing motion.

I guess I wasn't completely lost of emotion.. this happened often.

I walked out of my bathroom, and to my kitchen, I quickly made myself some scrambled eggs, and ate it right there on my counter, not bothering to go to the little dining area.

I had just lost my job as a cashier at my local Starbucks.. so I decided to walk to my front door, opening it I saw that it was raining outside.. didn't matter, I looked down to see a newspaper at my feet.

I picked up the newspaper and went back into my apartment

I opened the newspaper right there, in my doorway.. the front page showed a picture that immediately caught my attention.

At the top it said in big words "HELP WANTED" right under that it had the name of the restaurant that I had spent much of my childhood at until I was eight years old.. the year I stopped coming was 1987.

A memory came back to me then.. in a rush.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look! Their show is ending! Come on Daddy!" I called cheerfully to my Father, he wasn't paying attention though.. he was on his phone, business call, he walked out of the restaurant, mumbling into the phone.. He probably wanted someplace more quiet.

I frowned sadly, turning away and walking over to our table.. I sniffled as I sat down, starting to cry softly.. I stayed there like that not noticing I had missed the end of the band's show until I heard metallic footsteps walking up to me.

I looked up to see Freddy Fazbear, the mascot of the restaurant staring down at me.

"What's wrong sport?" he asked friendlily, with a smile.

"My daddy left to go talk to someone else, he hates me.. I know he does." I sobbed, looking up at the animatronic bear.

Freddy's smile faded, and he knelt down, opening up his arms "Come here." he commanded, I fell into his embrace, crying onto his shoulder.

I felt the bear rubbing the back of my head as the tears streamed down my face we stayed in silence, and eventually I felt better.

It had been the first time I went to the Pizzeria.

Me and my Father went often after that, I suspected it was just to get rid of me.. but I didn't care, I just wanted to spend time with Freddy and the gang.

I grew to love the four animatronics, they became like family to me.. they all seemed so.. alive at the time, Bonnie taught me how to play the guitar when he wasn't using it.. I think I was a good singer, at least that's what my robotic family told me.

I even played on the stage once, it was Christmas,so softly I strummed on Bonnie's guitar singing the song Jingle Bells to the people who listened.. my dad was listening, smiling at me.

Apparently the people who were there that day also thought I was a good singer, because after the song was done I swear the applause I got, it felt like the whole world was cheering me on.

It was amazing.

I sighed, coming out of my memory, I walked over to my dining table putting the newspaper down.. I would come back to it later.

I found myself walking to my bedroom without commanding my legs to move, they just carried me to my closet.

Opening the closet door I was met with a nostalgic sight.. Emotion flooded me.. a mix of happiness and sadness I hadn't felt in years.

There, in a box was the guitar Bonnie had lent me for that performance, it was dusty from not being used in a long while.

Bonnie had given the guitar to me, telling me to keep it a secret that he had loaned me it, he was supplied with a new one later on.. And I had kept it.

I picked the guitar up, dusting it off before walking over to my bed and sitting down.

I closed my eyes and let memory flood over me again.. back to that Christmas.

I started strumming the guitar softly, my voice following the pitch.

Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bobtail ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Jingle all the way.

Oh! what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh.

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Jingle all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleeeeiiigh.

I finished the song, the final words longer then usual..

Memory gripped me again.. of my final days at Freddy Fazbears Pizza

I was playing around in the ball pit, Chica was there with me, laughing with me and the other children around.

And then it happened.. something unexpected and horrifying.

I was looking when it occurred as well.. Some little girl, younger then I was at the time (I was eight) was messing with Foxy.. when suddenly Foxy crouched down and bit down on the child's head.

The pirate Fox didn't look like he was himself, especially considering once he had done it Foxy pulled back in surprise... big mistake, the motion backwards caused Foxy to take the girl's frontal lobe with him as he bolted upwards.

Next thing I knew everyone was screaming, I wasn't screaming, I was climbing out of the ball pit, looking up at Chica about to question what had happened, when a hand grabbed me and lifted me up, my Father.

I was now screaming.. I wanted to be let go! I needed to know what came over Foxy! It was too early to leave!

But I did leave.. and never came back.

I put down my guitar and walked back into the dining area, picking up the newspaper, I didn't notice the part that said that the company was not responsible for death/dismemberment and just called the number.

"Hello?" someone asked on the other end.

"Hello, I would like to apply for a job."


	2. Applying for the Job

I sighed heavily as the sound of my truck's engine died down it was eight a.m when I had started driving to the Pizzeria.. it was now 8:30, I looked around the parking lot through my windows, this place didn't seem to be as busy as when I used to go judging by the amount of cars parked here.

Couldn't blame people not coming after Foxy killed that child, she was dead right? That injury was pretty devastating.

I sat in my truck for a bit longer, deep in thought. Was my Father right to force me never to come back? He could have just been worried for me but.. Damn it! I didn't need protection! I needed my friends.. my family outside of my family.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, it was a mistake to come here.. coming here brought too much emotion bubbling to the surface, I kept considering what might have happened if my Father allowed me to keep coming to the Pizzeria.

I definitely wouldn't be a wreck right now, maybe I could still fix it, They could help me..

I opened my truck's door and practically slammed it closed behind me, storming to the Pizzeria's doors, I opened it and immediately felt people's gazes boaring into me.

I was a twenty one year old walking into a kid's pizzeria without a kid after all..

I ignored the looks, turning my head slowly until my gaze rested on the stage where the animatronic characters that were the soul of the restaurant stood, my heart skipped a beat and the corners of my lips rose in a smile.

My smile faded as quickly as it appeared however when I realized something, I tilted my head. Where was Foxy? He should have been on the stage.

I would have looked for him if another disturbance didn't become apparent to me, Why were the characters not moving? They just stood there eerily, no sign of "life" at all.

I started to walk up to them.. maybe they were turned off? I never really saw anything like a switch on the animatronic characters during my childhood, but I never looked during my childhood.

I walked up to Bonnie (Him being the closest to me) and stared up at him.

There was no switch on him in the front.. and I knew that there was no sort of control panel on his back, so if there was a switch it had to be inside of the suit.. and I wouldn't be able to reach it.

"Bonnie?" I whispered. No answer.

My lip quivered with sadness at his lack of a reaction.

"BONNIE!" I yelled out, again no sign of any reaction from the robot, I slouched forward, falling to the Bunny's feet, sobbing there.

Why... Why why why WHY! I continued to yell out in my mind, Why were they shut off? I needed them to answer me!

"FUCK!" I screeched, slamming my hand against the wooden stage, right next to Bonnie's left foot.

"Ma'am?" I heard someone say to me, I bolted upwards, and spun around. The person who had addressed me, a young man probably still in high school with a dark complexion flinched as I glared at him, I probably looked terrifying.. but I didn't care, I didn't soften my gaze in the slightest, how DARE he interrupt my little tantrum?

"What?" I barked, earning another flinch from the teenager who started to stutter "U-Uh.. you n-n-nee-"

"Look kid, I already know what I "need" to do.. and that is find whoever manages this place, help me with that." I snapped, interrupting what he was about to say.

"Oh... y-you're the one Ms. Conner told me to look out for.. s-sorry for not.. noticing you earlier." he apologized, I smiled slightly.

"Well then, where is this Ms. Conner?" I asked.

The kid made a gesture for me to follow him and spun around, walking away from the stage.

I looked over my shoulder at the three animatronics.. I could feel tears starting to form again but I wiped them away.

I turned around quickly, walking away from the stage, going after the kid.. I forgot to try to find Foxy, but I could do that later I was sure.

The teen lead me away from the party area and towards a door that must have been his Manager's office, he knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in." I heard a woman's voice call from inside.

The kid nodded at me, and I returned the gesture, opening the door and walking into the office.

There was a woman behind a desk, her eyes met mine as soon as I entered..

Holy crap.. I squinted at the lady, Shit.. she was skinny, The skin that was exposed very clearly had outlines of bones.

She was anorexic.. but despite her rather frail appearance she had a very intimidating presence, it was probably mostly the way her Icy blue eyes seemed to stare directly into my soul.

I wondered what she saw in said soul.

Her voice was cold, almost steely as she spoke.

"You are the woman who wishes to fill in the job that just became available?" she asked.. a shiver went down my spine.

"Yes ma'am.." I said formally.

"And what is your name?"

"Meredith Cacey Paulson."

"Okay, Miss. Paulson, former job experience?"

"I used to work behind the counter at Starbucks."

"Mm.." she seemed satisfied? Was that really enough to get this job?

Apparently so.

"You're hired then," she said reaching under her desk and pulling out a paper, placing a pen right next to it.

"Just sign here." she said pointing at a spot on the paper, I walked up to Ms. Conner's desk and picked up the pen, signing where she had specified.

I probably should have read the contract.. but I imagined my new boss didn't have any patience, was just a hunch.

Ms. Conner got up suddenly, my eyes followed her as she walked over to a closet type thing, opening it she brought out a blue shirt, black pants, and a blue hat with the words "Security" on it.

"This is the uniform I expect you to wear during work hours, please take care of it." Ms. Conner said, I looked at the uniform and nodded, acknowledging that I would take care of it and approving the look of the uniform.

"Your shift starts at Twelve.. Do not be late, Dismissed." she told me, sitting back down at her desk, I bolted up and took the uniform with me out of the office.

I walked out of the restaurant immediately, not glancing at the characters.. just knowing they were there threatened to make the tears come back.. I quickly got to my truck and drove back home.. I would return later.

I did not yet know what was in store for me.


End file.
